Marketing strategies in tv advertising?

Atypical, successful marketing strategies for book marketing

• I am the author of Soulutions: One Minute Peace and Healing. It is a soothing, inspiring book, written for the over-stressed, time-compressed, hyper-busy woman who doesn't have TIME to follow complicated or time consuming strategies for stress management and wants her life to be less hectic and harried. A collage of beautiful pictures and thought-provoking ideas the book will be published later this year. I'll be attending the Book Sellers Expo in Chicago the first weekend of June and want to be able to present a unique and exciting marketing plan to publishers and distributors while there. I have previously published two books. Both had great information and lackluster marketing. I know about the obvious marketing venues: book signings, radio and tv appearances, viral marketing strategies (this is an area where more information would be helpful),website, speaking, etc. What I'm looking for are unique and effective off-the-beaten-path stragegies and ideas. f they are media attractive, so much the better. Thank you so very much in helping me take Soulutions to the NYT Bestseller list. Peace and blessings,

• Answer:

  Hello soulutioneer~ I don?t think there?s an author out there who hasn?t been in your shoes; as an author myself, I know how disappointing it is to see your book get little (or no!) marketing. But you have the right idea: Take it into your own hands! And since your publisher?s marketing folks simply don?t have the time to read every book they're asked to market?-and since nobody knows your book better than *you,* you?re in a perfect position to come up with a terrific marketing campaign. Fortunately, looking at what other frustrated writers have done in the past is a great source of inspiration. Here are some creative, interesting, and uncommon ideas authors have utilized: ? Get a sponsor (or sponsors) for your book tour. Jane Applegate, the author of ?201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business? did just this. She organized a tour of 20 cities and convinced GTE to sponsor it (along with Network Solutions and Wells Fargo). She made the idea attractive to the businesses by establishing a theme that also helped market them: ?Unlimited Ideas for Your Small Business.? They had local businesses in each city promote the book shows and manage ticket sales; each person attending the show got a free book. In your case, you might choose companies well known for ?pampering? products. ? Give your book to celebrities. This works especially well if they're mentioned in the book. Also, get blurbs from celebrities to put on your book covers and/or promotional materials; this will work best if the well-known person is interested in your topic, so watch celebrity interviews often. ? Hold a tea party. That?s what Robin Fisher Roffer, the author of ?Make a Name for Yourself? did. (And I think the idea is much more suitable for your topic.) Make it an ultra-relaxing event. Deck the tables out. Tie in ideas from your book. (For example, if you mention bubble baths, make sure every woman goes home with a bottle of sudsy...with a sticker about your book on it.) Give each attendee a gift-wrapped copy of your book and a custom bookmark (or two). ? If you have any contact information for previous book buyers (or, if you have a website), do what author M.J. Rose did. She asked her fans to help her promote her new book. To make it fun (and add incentive) the person who managed to get the most people to buy Rose?s novel received an autographed copy of the book, plus a gift certificate to a book store. (Check out Rose?s website at: http://www.mjrose.com ) ? Sell your books on eBay. It sounds obvious, but very few authors do this. Personally, I've had great success selling my books on eBay--and often receive more than retail price. ? Here?s an idea that might inspire you to think creatively: Alan Ira Rosenberg made a public announcement (via press releases to major newspapers) that he was going to hold an auction for his writing tools and books, hoping that one day they?d be valuable. No less than The New York Times covered his story. (And what was Rosenberg?s inspiration? The auctioning off of Hemmingway?s memorabilia.) Perhaps you could do something similar with artifacts that formally caused you stress, or...? ? Consider what business can be tied to your book. For example, perhaps a florist (who can help create a relaxing environment) or a local bath and beauty shop. But don?t just ask them to carry your book; ask them to include it in gift baskets. Think big! You might even convince flowers.com or The Bath Shop to use your book. ? Find relevant businesses where you can set up a bowl or vase (or something more creative) for people to drop cards with their name, addresses, and email addresses. Then, have a drawing for a free book. Be sure there are copies available to purchase at the site, and add all contact information to a marketing list. It's a great idea to include an option on each card to sign up for an email newsletter or website updates, too. ? Leave copies of your book in doctor?s waiting rooms; be sure each copy has a sticker on the cover that gives information about where to buy the book. Include your website address, too. (Other places to leave copies: beauty parlors, dentists, chiropractors...anyplace people wait.) ? Contact QVC ( www.qvc.com ) and pitch to be on their station, selling your book. In your case, this could be tied in with beauty products or shows focusing on self-care. ? Put a ?Recommend It? button in a visible place on every page of your website. This is a very simple idea that's rarely used. I?m also including the following ideas, which are more standard, but weren't mentioned in your question. If you haven?t tried these ideas in the past, you should definitely put them into play for your next book: ? Writing articles for magazines and e-zines. Sell or give away excerpts from your book, or articles on the same topic as your book. Make sure your writer?s bio includes a plug for your new book. ? Seek book reviewers on your own. For this, you need a media kit and a cover letter. To learn the best way to make a media kit, see ?The Writer?s Guide To Self-Promotion & Publicity? by Elane Feldman (Writer?s Digest Books). ? Become a ?regular? on chat board on the same topic as your book(s). You don?t want to be pushy about mentioning your book, but definately bring it up if it's relevant. At the bottom of every post, include a link to your website or a one-liner about your book. ? Get your book featured on Oprah; since your book is of a topic often covered on this program, this may actually be viable. For more on this, check out ?How To Get Booked on Oprah,? at Writer?s Weekly: http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/000594_01022002.html It can help if you tie in your book with a topic already set to be filmed. Visit Oprah?s official website for a list of upcoming topics. ? In every email that leaves your computer, include a one line tag mentioning your book and a link to a place to learn more about it. ? Become a speaker. Hold conferences on the topic(s) of your book(s). ? Get yourself listed on Authors & Experts: http://www.authorsandexperts.com ? Get in the news. Perhaps you can find a way to make yourself newsworthy. Volunteer to help out an organization that aids women, for example. (If there?s a group that helps women released from prison get back up on their feet, maybe you could teach them how to cope with stress.) Be sure to send out press releases! ? If the media covers (or promises to cover in the near future) a topic that can tie in with your book, send a pitch letter, explaining how you can help round off the story. ? Get radio stations not just to interview you, but to hold contests where your autographed book (and perhaps a gift certificate to some place that ties in with your book) are the prize. The gift certificate needn?t be expensive. Please also check out this article at Writer?s Weekly, ?How Not to Promote Your Book:? http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/001037_12232003.html It offers a friendly reminder about getting ?too creative? with marketing. I also recommend ?Interview with Anthony Hernandez? at Absolute Write: http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/anthony_hernandez.htm for a good basic rundown about authors marketing their own books. Good luck! Kriswrite RESEARCH STRATEGY: creative book marketing ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=creative+book+marketing&btnG=Search "creative book marketing" ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22creative+book+marketing%22 "how to" market book* creatively ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22how+to%22+market+book*+creatively&btnG=Search "viral marketing" ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22viral+marketing%22+&btnG=Search writer publicity ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=writer+publicity&btnG=Search publicity stunts a search at Writer?s Weekly.com Re-reading ?The Writer?s Guide To Self-Promotion & Publicity?